Skip to main content

tv   Starting Point  CNN  November 19, 2012 4:00am-6:00am PST

4:00 am
ender that brought the house down at the american music awards. >> does it involve your bff? >> it might involve one of my best friends. good morning, it is monday, november 19th. "starting point" begins right now. good morning, good morning, happy monday to you. soledad is off. she is back tomorrow. >> great to see you, everyone. our starting points today, bombs and bloodshed on the rise. the widening conflict between hamas and israel. the last 24 hours have been particularly deadly. 11 civilians killed in gaza city when israeli missiles leveled a two-story home. four of the dead, children. >> as for israel, not letting up with its air assault. right now, representatives from the two sides are in egypt, trying to negotiate a cease-fire. but they're not talking directly to one another. cnn's anderson cooper is live for us this morning from gaza
4:01 am
city. anderson, good morning. set the scene for us there. >> yeah, good morning. as you said it has been another day of explosions here and rockets being fired toward israel. i saw at least five rockets being fired over the last several hours toward israel from here in gaza city. which is where most of the rockets are being fired from. and also a number of explosions incoming rockets, or air strikes by israeli forces throughout the day. at least more than a dozen that i've heard over the last several hours. don't have any reports, really, on casualties today. we just had a rocket go off right there. neil, if you can zoom in. you can see the trail right there in the sky. that would be the sixth rocket that we've heard over the last several hours. there was a response from the israeli defense forces earlier to some of the rockets, at least two of the rockets that were being fired. there was an explosion in the area where those rockets were
4:02 am
fired from. this is pretty common this kind of thing. obviously you see a lot. remember a lot of these will very -- this is a very densely populated city. these rockets are being fired either from little open fields next to houses or even sometimes from within houses themselves. which obviously, in very residential areas, creates a real problem for the civilians living in those areas. so again, just a sign of what we've been seeing over the last several hours. >> you said you've been seeing there for a night. it's been going on for days now. yesterday, you were in the midst of explosions. one went off during one of your live shots. >> also two media centers -- whoa. that was a rather large explosion. that occurred -- just look out here. i can't actually see where the impact of that was. it is actually set off a number of car alarms. >> anderson with that going on all the time now in gaza, what does that do to the psyche and the mood of the people on the ground?
4:03 am
>> well, obviously, it is very tense here, and very difficult for people living here on the ground. you know, there's -- yesterday was the deadliest day, as you know, for people in gaza. total so far over six days of the conflict, 95 people have been killed, according to medical sources here in gaza. some 740 have been injured. i was at the hospital today, obviously very chaotic scene there. there's this constant presence of israeli drones overhead. you hear them off in the distance. they sound almost like a distant lawnmower, kind of the closest sound i can describe it as. but it's obviously a far more, you know, dangerous and ominous than that sound. and it's constant. i can hear it right now though you may not be able to. there's the constant realization of what is going on. then you hear explosions periodically and the rockets being fired off. it's obviously a very tense
4:04 am
atmosphe atmosphere. one many in gaza have sadly become used to. people trying to stay indoors as much as possible. the streets are pretty empty. stores are shut down. people only going outside to get necessities, get food, cooking oil, whatever they need to be able to kind of hunker down inside, really trying to stay off the streets as much as possible. >> anderson cooper and crew on the ground in gaza city. we'll check back in with you next hour. i'm curious to see what the scene was like inside the hospital. we'll take you live to israel this morning as well. but we have to get to the other big story we're following for you this morning. president obama on the ground in cambodia. the final stop on this three-nation tour of southeast asia. the centerpiece of this trip here is this visit to myanmar. the country formerly known as burma. >> he is the first sitting president to visit there. in a speech earlier this morning at the university of yangon the president offered a hand of friendship from the u.s., as long as the country continues on its path to democracy.
4:05 am
cnn's jessica yellin is traveling with the president. she joins us live from yangon in myanmar. this was a historic visit. what has been the response there. >> hi, john. the response has been very warm. obviously the people we're seeing are people who want to come out and embrace the president's message. but he spoke here in this auditorium, at an historic site, to 1500 students and professionals. people who are pro-democracy, advocates, and regular citizens who just wanted to hear his message. he got a very warm reception here and the white house said that he was moved, as well, by the thousands of people who came out to greet him on the road outside the airport when he arrived. the airport gave an address in which he acknowledged that democracies are sometimes difficult and it's a struggle to get to full freedom. but he said that it is, of
4:06 am
course, worth the effort. and he also made clear that it isn't just a visit of goodwill, it also has strategic significance with a message to another nation in the area. listen to this. i don't know if we have that sound. we don't have the sound. but he talked about-ish he said i have a message to north korea, as well. if north korea wants to make the same choice that myanmar made, and get rid of their nuclear program and embrace freedom, then they will see the hand of friendship from the united states, as well. this is a message to north korea, but there's also another point in the presence here in this region to an intentional effort to rebalance, as they say, that's what the white house called it, and help strengthen
4:07 am
the u.s. ties in the region to try and essentially offset some of china's growing influence here and around the world. the president, as you mentioned, now in cambodia and he has a full slate of events tonight and tomorrow. >> jessica, it's brooke, i'm just curious if you can bear with me i know your voice is going i'm sure the trip is long and arduous. i'm curious, there are many human rights activists who are curious as to why the president is there you know, there are scores of political prisoners still very much so who would like to be freed and here we have the president of the united states visiting such a nation. why myanmar? >> it's a great question and we pressed him on that. look, the president says that this is an important show of friendship and encouragement. because this is a very that, as you point out, there have been political prisoners, and still are. there's also some ethnic violence here. where some populations are being
4:08 am
cleansed, so they're not to full freedoms yet. the president's message is, this is a country in the last few years made leaps and bounds away from a military dictatorship towards a more open society, releasing many political prisoners, releasing most notably aung san suu kyi the pro-democracy icon with whom the president visited today. he went to her home where she was under house arrest for almost 15 years, and we got a chance to visit that home with him and see them together. he said that it was -- it's an important symbolic message to show that the united states will encourage a nation along the path if they make these steps toward freedom. they don't have to get there all the way on their own. and the u.s. is giving some aid to this country. and i point out there's also economic benefits here, as well, for the u.s. rich in minerals. rich in oil. you know, this is a nation that
4:09 am
the u.s. could do significant trade with, as well. it's not as if there's no strategic benefit. and also it used to be a military partner with north korea and they have broken off that alliance since the u.s. has gotten involved. a clear message in any direction. >> jessica yellin, thank you very much. other stories we're following. vice president joe biden getting a firsthand look at superstorm sandy. the damage in new jersey. with first responders who lost their homes. he also looked at the battered coastline by helicopter yesterday. the vice president, like president obama, vowed to help the area to make a complete recovery. >> made it clear that we're going to do everything we can to make sure that the corps is fully funded, that we have fema has what it needs, and all the programs that exist under the auspices of the federal government are not only continue to exist, but are funded so that we can make sure that -- that
4:10 am
this area of the country is fully, fully, fully restored. >> about 600 customers still do not have electricity in new jersey over the weekend. three weeks after the storm hit. a tv crew's familiar ra just happened to be rolling as this oil rig in the gulf of mexico exploded off in the distance. >> holy [ bleep ] look at that. >> divers on the sea floor found the body of one man who worked on that particular platform. another worker still unaccounted for. at least 11 others were injured in friday's explosion. still, we don't know what caused it. now the latest in the former cia director david petraeus' sex scandal. cameras were waiting as the mistress, paula broadwell, returned to her north carolina home yesterday. her husband scott told reporters he had no comment. meanwhile after the testimony from david petraeus before congress, a big battle is brewing over u.n. ambassador susan rice's declassified talking points on the attack in
4:11 am
benghazi. specifically why the role of terrorism wasn't reflected in these talking points. democratic senator dianne feinstein, chairman of the senate intelligence committee, says she will investigate why the terrorist role was not included, but she says she's sure the white house did not change the language in those talking points. >> with the allegation that the white house changed those talking points, that is false. there's only one thing that was changed. and i checked into this. i believe it to be absolute fact. and that was the word consulate was changed to mission. that's the only change that anyone in the white house made. and i have checked this out. >> some influential republicans are accusing the obama administration of a cover-up and want ambassador rice to testify before congress. tea party favorite allen west may not be returning to the house of representatives. latest recount in florida shows west trailing his democratic challenger, patrick murphy by almost 2,000 votes.
4:12 am
unofficial numbers posted just yesterday evening give murphy 166,257 votes to 164,353 for west. >> but who's counting. during the recount, actually, murphy's lead grew. so things are looking worse by the day for allen west. justin bieber sweeps, he took the honors last night at the american music awards winning the artist of the year award with long with two other trophies. bieber also had a message for his detractors. >> first of all i want to say, i want to say, this is for all the haters who thought that, you know, that maybe i was just here for one or two years. i feel like i'm going to be here for a very long time. >> take that haters. meanwhile, the vanilla ice right there? >> a little bit.
4:13 am
>> good for you, bieber. nicki minaj won for favorite rap hip-hop album and artist. taylor swift took her fifth consecutive award for favorite country artist. the night ended with a super special smash up. the south korean rapper behind gangnam style teaming up on this performance. >> doesn't that bring you back to maybe like some school dances, a little -- >> fashion never goes out of style. >> m.c. hammer. his besties apparently. >> that was at the democratic national convention. hammer was there. >> that's what you call him. i asked this morning. hammer. hammer is a social media icon. i met with him a few times. and he's a really interesting, smart guy.
4:14 am
>> isn't he a minister now? >> i don't know. he's an entrepreneur. >> an entrepreneur. i see. i didn't hear about him for a very long time and now he's sort of back. >> and he can totally still dance, by the way. >> all right, christine, good morning. >> front page of "the wall street journal," investment falls off a cliff. how many days now, 43 days until the fiscal cliff. minding your business, congressional leaders came out of their fiscal cliff meeting with the president friday, sounded encouraged that a deal could be reached. that optimism might be helping push the markets up today. u.s. stock futures, the dow, the nasdaq, the s&p 500 all up this morning. shortened holiday week for stocks. fiscal cliff fears have been weighing on the market since election day. the three major indices are all down about 5% and change since november 6th. that doesn't feel good. also, added pressure on energy prices, because of unrest in the middle east today. oil prices are higher because of concerns that the fighting between israel and gaza could expand. that would potentially disrupt oil supplies in the region.
4:15 am
light sweet crude oil prices up nearly 1% to 88 a barrel. and walmart on the offensive against a workers walkout planned for black friday. walmart filed a complaint with the national labor relations board. it says the union-backed, quote our walmart group didn't file the right paperwork to picket during past demonstrations. our walmart says it has 1,000 protests planned across the country later this week. walmart plans to open doors for black friday at 8:00 p.m. on thanksgiving night. so now, we're calling it black friday mission creep. it's black thursday now. so there you go. >> go shopping now. why wait? >> i'm going to tell you a little secret. according to deal news, 70% of the in-store deals for black friday are already available online. >> so throw on my sweat pants and be comatose after my turkey. >> if you've really got to get the door buster -- >> hop online now? christine, thank you. ahead this morning on "starting point," of course we're continuing our coverage of the
4:16 am
increasing violence between israel and gaza. as the possibility of war becomes all too real. question is, what will the role of the u.s. be if and when that happens? we're going to talk to a former senate majority leader, senator leader george mitchell that is next. >> and chris christie dons his famous blue fleece for a cameo on "saturday night live." hear who he says was stupid during superstorm sandy. . okay, now here's our holiday gift list. aww, not the mall. well, i'll do the shopping... if you do the shipping. shipping's a hassle. i'll go to the mall. hey. hi. you know, holiday shipping's easy with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. yea, i know. oh, you're good. good luck! priority mail flat rate boxes. online pricing starts at $5.15.
4:17 am
only from the postal service. olaf's pizza palace gets the most rewards of any small business credit card! pizza!!!!! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! helium delivery. put it on my spark card! [ pop! ] [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve the most rewards! awesome!!! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet?
4:18 am
4:19 am
as we speak there are about 30,000 israeli troops massing
4:20 am
along the gaza border. the possibility of all-out war becoming tree ining frightening. much of the world is hoping these two can talk their way out of this conflict to end the bloodshed. >> now hamas is demanding the end to israel's blockade on gaza. and wants raids on the territory to end permanently. as for israel, israel says it's not letting up and so let's begin here with former senate majority leader george mitchell who also more recently served as a special envoy to the middle east. senator mitchell, good morning, thank you so much for being with us. >> thanks for having me. >> let's begin with the first obvious question which is the possibility of a cease-fire. what do you think? >> well, the egyptians are now working hard as they have in the past to establish a cease-fire and truce over the past several years. most of the time, the two sides have had an uneasy truce that's been broken several times.
4:21 am
i think for both sides there is an interest in continuing and interest at some point in stopping. >> continuing the fighting? >> continuing the fighting. >> why? >> the israelis want to end the rocket fire first and they want to make the punishment so severe that hamas will be deterred from doing this again in the future. on the other hand, they don't want to risk their peace treaty with egypt and with jordan. so how far you go to accomplish the first without incurring the latter is a very difficult question. the egyptians on the other hand face a real problem their own. they don't want this fighting to continue and threaten their own domestic situation. they need help from the west, they want continued good relations with the united states. but it's the muslim brotherhood government and hamas is an offshoot of the muslim brotherhood. so, they, too, face the opposite problem. they want it to stop but they don't want to lose their credentials with either side.
4:22 am
it's a very difficult situation for everyone concerned. >> wh that tension, what's the risk of escalation here. as you said israel may have an interest in continuing to try to eradicate missiles altogether. what if they go in with ground troops does that hurt their standing in the public arena? >> it did the last time. what happens is there is, of course israel has a right to defend itself. i think that's pretty universally accepted. and they ought to have that right. on the other hand, when they go in on the ground the casualties mount and there comes a tipping point in international public opinion as to sort of when you have gone too far and you have these tragic incidents. because this is a very densely populated area, and one of the problems is the israelis face is that the palestinians place these batteries in densely populated areas, and near facilities where a lot of people are. so a lot of civilians get killed in the process. >> the president had seemed to suggest he would rather the israelis did not go in with ground troops. the question is what does the
4:23 am
u.s. do then if israel does march across that line? >> well, we will try very hard to end it as soon as possible because as i said there comes a tipping point where public opinion moves in the other direction, and we have a new situation now that didn't exist the last time there was an incursion in late '08 and '09 and that is change in the egyptian government. israel had a very close relationship with the egyptian government under mubarak and just before that had very good relations with the turkish government. now both of those have switched, and are not friendly to israel. >> but how? this is a whole other sort of variable on this whole occasion because you have this newly elected president, mursi the ideological cous of hamas. he has vehemently defended hamas in the past. yet at the same time you have egypt struggling economically speaking, they need to make sure that he wants to be the power broker in this part of the
4:24 am
world. how does he strike that balance? what would those talks look like? >> well, the answer, of course, is in itself very difficult to achieve. that's ending the fighting and getting the two sides to the negotiating table to bring about a long-term agreement for peace between israelis and palestinians. it would commit a reorienting of concerns toward the real threat in the region and that's iran. right now as long as they're fighting and divided the arab publics are concerned mostly about israel when the real threat to them comes in the region, in the gulf region, in iran's efforts to achieve domination of the oil resources in the persian gulf. >> senator we've got to go. let me ask you quickly as someone who's been there before in exactly nearly exactly this type of situation do you think it will get worse before it gets better? >> probably so for a short time. but i really hi that the experience of '08 hangs heavy in
4:25 am
everyone's mind, and once the rockets stop, i think israelis will stop. >> all right, senator george mitchell thank you so much. >> appreciate it. >> "starting point" will continue in just a moment. for $688. mart d that's a $310 savings. that is amazing! the first and only place to shop this black friday. savings start at 8pm thursday, more electronics at 10pm. walmart.
4:26 am
savings start at 8pm thursday, more electronics at 10pm. alriwoah! did you get that? and...flip! yep, look at this. it takes like 20 pictures at a time. i never miss anything. isn't that awesome? uh that's really cool. you should upload these. i know, right? that is really amazing. the pictures are so clear. kevin's a handsome devil that phone does everything! search dog tricks. okay, see if we can teach him something cool. look at how lazy kevin is.
4:27 am
kevin, get it together dude cmon, kevin take 20 pictures with burst shot on the galaxy s3.
4:28 am
welcome back, everyone. new jersey governor chris christie flashing his lighter side during an appearance on "saturday night live." >> is there anything you'd like to say to the people of new jersey? >> i'd like to thank the red cross and first responders. i'd also like to give a special thanks to my lovely wife mary todd christie who put up with a husband who smelled like a wet fleece for the past three weeks. >> you have been wearing that fleece a lot. >> yeah, it's basically fused to my skin at this point. >> i have seen you wearing
4:29 am
suits. >> oh, yeah but i wear them over the fleece. i'm going to die in this fleece. >> love that fleece. >> christie also was joking a little bit about the mayors who ignored his evacuation orders during the storm. he called them idiots and said they reminded him of seth myers. >> we love it. did you see the wolf blitzer skit? >> happening now! >> they do a great wolf. a great wolf. okay. ahead this morning on "starting point," we took you at the top of the show live to gaza. coming up next, live to jerusalem as israel broadens its assault. will intense negotiations happening right now, will it all stop the bloodshed? >> and mayors from across the country gathering to pressure lawmakers for a deal on the fiscal cliff. they say their cities will struggle with no compromise. we're going to talk live to myer michael nutter and mesa mayor scott smith. >> also the president is not impressed. the picture with an olympic star gymnast that's gone viral. what's that about? back in a moment.
4:30 am
4:31 am
4:32 am
4:33 am
it is half past the hour here. welcome back to "starting point" on this monday. soledad is off today, i'm brooke baldwin. >> i'm john berman. an israeli missile has leveled a two story home in gaza city, killing 11 civilians, 4 of them children. the violence threatening to escalate out of control. rockets raining from gaza to
4:34 am
israel. representatives from two sides are in egypt for cease-fire talks but they're not talking directly to each other. hamas is publicly demanding a truce. they're calling on israel to bring an immediate end to its long-running military blockade of gaza. >> frederick pleitgen is live for us near the gaza border. i'm told you were moved by the israeli army farther away from the border. tell me what you've been seeing so far this morning. >> absolutely. we've been moved a couple of minutes ago by an israeli military patrol. we were only about two kilometers away from the border between gaza and israel. they said this was a forward patrol, forward reconnaissance patrol and they basically told us to get out of there as fast as possible because they feared that there could be sniper fire coming from there. also feared there could be rockets dropping from there. they told us to get in our car. we're following an israeli military patrol out of the area, we were told to follow a car.
4:35 am
they said that that area is very dangerous that we were in. it's one that's taken a lot of rocket fire, and during the time that we've been driving in this area we've been able to hear several rocket alarms go off. it is an area that's taken a lot of fire in the past. it is very, very close to the border with gaza. we've been told to get out of there and go to a different location. we're going to try to make our way over there. while we were there, we were able to see a lot of action going on. we heard drones in the sky over gaza the entire time and several rocket alarms. there does seem to be a lot of action going on. a lot of rockets still being fired out of gaza. a lot of planes over gaza that could disrupt air strikes there. >> fredrick, the conflict is going on literally all around you at this moment. but is anyone around you talking about the possibility of a cease-fire? >> well, you know, it's something that's always being debated. especially if you look in the israeli media. you can talk to people here. it doesn't seem as though it's
4:36 am
imminent. i mean, people who are talking about a cease-fire, who are talking about a possible truce but there's also just as many people here, talking about the expansion of the conflict. a ground invasion being imminent. to get here we had to go through the military zone. you could see a massive buildup going there, of israeli armored vehicles, of israeli tanks. we saw a massive column of tanks go past us as we were driving out here. certainly that military buildup is still in full swing. they were telling us that right now they're sort of getting toward the more mature stages, if you will, of that buildup. they're getting the troops already in place now so it seems as though they're more and more ready for an escalation if that, in fact, is something that's going to happen. they always keep saying the room for negotiations are still open but there is still the possibility that all of this could end. both sides are telling each other, if you stop then we're going to stop. it seems as though and we're hearing this, there are, of course, these international mediation efforts under way.
4:37 am
it is anybody's guess, of course, there is always the real possibility this could escalate further. >> fred pleitgen driving from the israeli/gaza border. also senator john mccain saying just yesterday here that the u.s. should use its flun to try to bring an end to the violence along the border there between israel and gaza. so what does he want? he wants former president bill clinton to get involved. >> try to find someone even as high-ranking, frankly, as former president bill clinton to go and be the negotiator. i know he'd hate me for saying that but we need a person of enormous prestige and influence to have these parties sit down together, as an arms broker. >> during his presidency bill clinton held negotiations at camp david between israel and the palestinian authority. >> other top stories this morning. the u.s. is with you. president obama promising american support for myanmar as the once repressive regime travels the road to democracy. he is the first sitting u.s. president to travel there.
4:38 am
he's also the first to go to cambodia, arriving there just this morning. that is the last stop on his very quick tour of southeast asia. >> and 2016. i know i know. it might be a long way away. but a certain senator from florida sure looked like a presidential candidate during this visit to iowa. marco rubio appearing saturday night at a fund-raiser for iowa governor terry branstad. in his speech the florida senator discussed the future of the republican party and addressed a host of issues including tax reform, national debt, immigration and the energy policy. >> no coincidence he shows up in iowa. the proposed key stone xl pipeline drawing thousands of protesters to the white house. the pipeline would help deliver oil from canada's tar sands to the gulf of mexico. last year president obama delayed a decision on the controversial project until after election. >> teen gymnast mckayla maroney who made it to the white house. it's clear that she and president obama are not
4:39 am
impressed. this is the latest photo of maroney to go viral. remember she became this whole internet name when she splashed her naught impressed face at the victory podium over the summer. she won a silver medal. maroney said the new photo was the idea of the president. it is hilarious. >> i loved it. can you imagine how nervous you must be if you're with the president. >> he flashes you the look. >> let's play a joke here. >> you're like, okay. we're always impressed by rob marciano. busy travel week. how does it look? >> if i can get this in 60 seconds, it would impress and please everybody. rainfall across portland and seattle. this is the time of year where they get their strong rain and wind storms. now several pulses of energy will wrap around and make their way into the pacific northwest. really over the next two or three days. here's the radar. portland up through i-5 across the river in through seattle. heavy rain today. this is mostly a rain event. snow levels coming up, so flood
4:40 am
watches and warnings have been posted for much of the willamette valley through the puget sound area. look at these wind gusts. well over hurricane strength gusts there. so potent system. inner mountain west not looking too shabby. weak cold front moving across the midsection of the country today. and some fog, just to settle in through parts of the great lakes. if you're traveling in through detroit, a ground stop for the next couple of hours. longer, cool nights. here's your travel forecast for wednesday. doesn't really change much from today. not terrible quite honestly. the east coast, some windy conditions. should be all right. another system into the pacific northwest could be worse the day before thanksgiving. >> the forecast is not terrible? >> yeah. technical term. >> not terrible. >> that's not impressive to you. >> impressed marciano. thank you very much. still ahead on "starting point," mayors are now pressuring lawmakers for a deal on the
4:41 am
fiscal cliff for fear of a huge impact in their own cities. we're going to talk to philadelphia mayor michael nutter and mesa, arizona, mayor scott smith. that is next. >> and will twinkies survive after all? please say yes, the company that may take over the iconic american brand. i gave birth to my daughter on may 18th, five days later, i had a massive heart attack. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story.
4:42 am
a new way to save on your prescriptions. it's the aarp medicarerx saver plus plan from unitedhealthcare. with this plan, you can get copays as low as a dollar through a preferred network pharmacy like walgreens -- where you'll find 8,000 convenient locations. best of all, this plan has the lowest part d premium in the united states -- only $15 a month. open enrollment ends december 7th. so call today or visit your local walgreens. ♪ ends december 7th. ♪
4:43 am
since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪ time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference.
4:44 am
just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. buy now. save later. couple top stories. call it the bcs shuffle. notre dame is number one in the country in the latest bcs standings after the two top teams before, kansas state and oregon both lost this weekend. so, if the unbeaten irish can beat usc on saturday they will be guaranteed a berth in the bcs title game. they're heavily favored. >> so i go away on vacation, i'm in napa, california. come back, boom, twinkies gone. i can tell you this, there's a chance they will not be extinct after all. analysts say well-known companies are expressing interest in hostess products including pepperidge farm and
4:45 am
the company that makes tasty cakes. there's also a potential buyer out of mexico called bimbo bakeries. >> do not go on vacation again. >> i'm sorry. the chocolate cup cakes? delicious. anyway, clock, ticking on the american economy year-end fiscal cliff we've been talking about for awhile here. a challenge, president obama mentioned on his pan asian tour just this week. >> i'm confident that we can get our fiscal situation dealt with. and i think it's important to recognize that yeah democracy is a little messier than alternative systems of government. but that's because democracy allows everybody to have a voice. >> mayors across the country are urging washington to get it back to the before it's too late. they're gathering in washington, d.c. to lay out the issues their
4:46 am
cities will face if there's no compromise. pretty serious issues, by the way. among the mayors there, democrat mayor michael nutter of philadelphia and republican mayor scott smith of mesa, arizona. mr. mayors, you were both at the white house last week before the president met with congressional leaders. what was your sense of where things stood and what was your message to the president? >> well, i was pleased to be there with the u.s. conference of mayors and vice president, scott smith who is on the show and i was serving as president. other mayors, probably a total of 14 of us, talking with vice president biden last thursday afternoon about the situation that we need a balanced, bipartisan approach to dealing with the issue of cuts, as well as revenues. these are serious matters that can affect cities all across the united states of america. you cannot solely cut your way out of the amount of debt that
4:47 am
we have. so this issue must be addressed. but the most important issue is that the middle class tax cuts should be voted on right now, by the congress, passed the senate, needs to come through the house. there's no reason for 98% of americans taxes to go up next year, as we continue to deal with this fiscal crisis. >> mayor smith, you okay with that? vote on middle class tax cuts right now? >> well, i think any action would be good action. i think one of the things we found in the cities is that the one thing that is most paralyzing to us is inaction. because inaction breeds uncertainty and uncertainty means people hang onto their dollars. companies don't invest. consumers don't spend. i think that the sooner the action from congress, and obviously extending tax cuts may be the easiest thing to do, the better off we all are, because that will give us some certainty, especially going into the holiday season. >> speaking of any action being good action one of our colleagues, she covers the white house for us, brianna keilar,
4:48 am
she spoke with a source, very familiar with some of these top negotiations. let me quote her source here when the president raised the issue of increasing revenue there was no, no word on moving we're not doing that and when the republicans raised entitlement reform the president agreed it was needed as part of a package that included revenue. so there's the quote. do you hear hope for compromise somewhere in there? >> well, it sounds like at least the message we receive. >> good, mayor smith. >> from the white house and from some members -- >> go ahead, mayor smith. >> that's okay, mayor nutter. >> see this is -- >> look at this. this is beautiful. >> gentlemen, one of you, begin. >> sure. i think -- >> well i think you're going to see certainly from the white house and from congress was that they want to get something done. and again, the focus on the middle class tax cuts as an issue that can take place literally tomorrow. it's one vote.
4:49 am
and other than the presidential election on november 6th, this could be the most important vote that takes place this year. all sides seem to be talking about wanting to compromise on some pretty significant issues. i don't know what came out of the meeting last friday with the leaders in congress, but i'm certainly optimistic, we have to be because we're mayors but they need to get stuff done to start working on this package right now. >> i'm certainly encouraged. >> 20 seconds. final final final thought. >> certainly enkourpaged by the tone that's come out. it seems like after the election people are settling in to what is the new reality. and enjoy and appreciated the tone of both congressional leaders and the meetings at the white house, where it looks like they really are putting basic politics aside and recognizing they need a solution. so i like what i'm hearing. >> all right, guys, thank you so much for being with us this morning. thank you for getting along so well while you're here. here's a sign for bipartisan compromise across the country.
4:50 am
>> thanks, gentlemen, appreciate it. >> thank you. >> ahead this morning on "starting point," new numbers showing nearly 50 million people right here in the united states are living below the poverty line. but now there is a new plan to cut that number in half over the course of the next decade. another mayor, los angeles mayor antonio villaraigosa will join us next with the details. (splashing)... (child screaming underwater)...
4:51 am
(underwater noises). and with my bankamericard cash rewards credit card, i love 'em even me. i earn 1% cash back everywhere, every tim 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatica hoops to jump hrough. that's 1% back o.. [ toy robot sounds ] 2% on pumpkin pie. and apple. 3% ba on 4 trips to e airport. it's as easy ... [ woman ] 3. male annocer ] the bankamericard cash rewardca. apply online or at a bank america nr you. thor's couture gets the most rewards of any small business credit card. your boa! [ garth ] thor's small business earns double miles on every purchase, every day!
4:52 am
ahh, the new fabrics, put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? the spiked heels are working. wait! [ garth ] great businesses deserve the most rewards! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? [ cheers and applause ]
4:53 am
welcome back, everyone. new numbers from the scensus bureau show in 2011 just over 16% of americans, that is over 50 million people, were living below the poverty line. >> there's this new report from the half in ten campaign ends to cut the u.s. poverty over half in the next decade. they said it goes hand in hand with solutions to fix yur economy. los angeles democratic mayor anthony vee villaraigosa, mr.
4:54 am
mayor, good to see you. good morning. >> hi, brooke, how are you? >> i'm wonderful. >> i hear you're in new york here. >> for just a hot second i am. but let me ask you this. when you look at the timing of this report you'll be presenting today, you combine it with all these talks, negotiations with the fiscal cliff, is there any way to sort of tile this together, you know, the fight against poverty with sort of broader economic solutions for our country? >> first of all, it was great to see both mayor smith and mayor nutter together. a democrat and republican talking about fixing the debt. and, yes, it is very consistent. in fact, the simpson/bowles commission which lays the framework for addressing the debt does talk about some of these programs, child poverty. the need to make sure that we're making investments in education and infrastructure and r & d, but also protecting the safety net. whether it's child nutrition programs, the earned income tax credit, child care credit. making sure that we're protecting kids. as you probably know, this
4:55 am
report talks about the $500 million impact of child -- of poverty, child poverty particularly on the economy. and the cost of some of these programs is somewhere in the neighborhood of $90 billion a year. now, what we have to do according to simpson/bowles as a framework is make sure that we're cutting red tape and duplication, but make sure that we don't cut the safety net so that we put back the economy in a way that doesn't move us forward. >> mr. mayor, john berman here. always great to see you on this show. among the other things in this report it does say two-thirds of the programs suggested to be cut by congress last year would have come from americans in need. low income americans in need. what are some of the other findings in this report? >> well, that's critical. look, that's not a balanced approach. that's why simpson/bowles, again, laying out a framework and a template, says you can't just decimate social security and medicaid. do we have to address entitlements?
4:56 am
absolutely. i'm glad the president mentioned that. we're going to have to put ourselves on a more sustainable path forward. but it doesn't mean that you decimate the safety net, you cut food stamps, you cut health care for kids, you cut programs that people need to get out of poverty and move into the middle class. >> mayor villaraigosa, i just spent a week in california last week. >> napa. >> in napa and in l.a. thank you very much. but when you look, though, at the numbers here, when you look at the poverty level in the state of california, it is 23.5%. you look at the national rate, you see there it's down 16.1%. as you present this, you know, new report, this hopeful report, this path for our future, do you hope that the spotlight is shining on your state specifically? >> absolutely. absolutely. i gave another speech just this week on the golden state at the milken institute where we talked about how we restore the luster of the golden state. it means you have to make
4:57 am
investments, too. there is a path forward where you cut duplication, you cut red tape, you make sure the programs are efficient. you have a metrics driven effort to measure the success of programs. but you can't decimate these programs. so, yes, we do need to highlight what's going on in california because i'll tell you, we shouldn't be proud of having a poverty rate that high. >> mayor villaraigosa, thank you so much. appreciate it. >> thank you for having me. still ahead this morning on "starting point," this. emergency talks happening right now to try to stop the bloodshed between israel and gaza. both sides refusing to back downright now. we are live in gaza with anderson cooper at the top of the hour. >> he's been talked about as a future presidential candidate for the gop. so why is louisiana governor bobby jindal saying his party
4:58 am
needs to stop saying stupid needs to stop saying stupid things? -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. meet the 5-passenger ford c-max hybrid.
4:59 am
when you're carrying a lot of weight, c-max has a nice little trait, you see, c-max helps you load your freight, with its foot-activated lift gate. but that's not all you'll see, cause c-max also beats prius v, with better mpg. say hi to the all-new 47 combined mpg c-max hybrid. to get our adt security system. and one really big reason -- the house next door. our neighbor's house was broken into. luckily, her family wasn't there, but what if this happened here? what if our girls were home? and since we can't monitor everything 24/7, we got someone who could. adt. [ male announcer ] while some companies are new to home security, adt has been helping to save lives for over 135 years. we have more monitoring centers, more of tomorrow's technology right here today, and more value. 24/7 monitoring against burglary, fire,
5:00 am
and high levels of carbon monoxide, starting at just over $1 a day. and now get adt installed for just $99. isn't your family worth america's number one security company, adt? [ woman ] our girls got us thinking, but the break-in got us calling. [ man ] and after buying two of everything, it was nice to only need one secuty system -- adt. [ male announcer ] get adt installed for just $99, and ask about adt pulse, advanced home management here today. adt. always there.
5:01 am
on "starting point" this morning, negotiations happening right now. but will it stop the bloodshed between gaza and israel? anderson cooper live for us this morning in gaza. >> president obama takes a historic trip to myanmar and cambodia. what he has to say and why everyone is not happy the president is even there? >> is the black friday frenzy all just a big scam? how you can stay home this year and still get the best deals. the clock is ticking here on the fiscal cliff. we continue to talk about it. 43 days to go. why there is new optimism there will be a deal reached soon. >> it is monday, november 19th. "starting point" begins right now.
5:02 am
good morning, everyone. soledad is off today. we want to welcome in our special team that's joined us here. "new york times" columnist. nan hayworth. ron brownstein, cnn political analyst is here as well. >> welcome to you all. we will be talking here in a moment. we have to begin with the huge story. "starting point," this morning, death and despair mounting in the middle east. the conflict in gaza city, it is intensifying. it's been intensifying overnight. look at the destruction here. an israeli missile slamming into a residential neighborhood taking out the two-story home. 11 people were killed including four children. >> let's get right to cnn's anderson cooper who is live in gaza city this morning. anderson, i understand the situation changing by the minute, getting increasingly dangerous. >> reporter: we just saw, actually, probably about four or five minutes ago a number of rockets actually being fired from gaza city just over in that direction toward israel.
5:03 am
we have not heard on the israeli side the results of those rockets. but we've seen probably at least -- more than half a dozen rockets before that rocket barrage being fired over the last several hours. i saw at least six with my own eyes. it happens periodically from different parts of gaza city. there's often very quickly an israeli response. we're watching that area over there to see if there is an israeli response to those rockets being fired. we've had a number of explosions throughout the city as well in various locations. israeli artillery or air force response. again, it is day six of this conflict. the death toll, 92 people here in gaza have been killed, according to health officials in gaza. at least three in israel that's known of according to israel. the idf, israeli defense forces, say that some 800 to 900 rockets in total have been fired toward israel from gaza. just yesterday israel said they
5:04 am
had about 120 airstrikes on various targets. but as the days progress, the number of startargets that isra can have is dwindling. they're now hitting buildings that in one case they said was owned by a hamas militant, a commander. that was the building yesterday that they hit that 11 people died, 10 members of one family were staying in the building. israel initially said they killed that member of hamas. they've now walked that back and said it's unclear whether or not he was at the house at the time. but there was a funeral today for the members of that -- the ten members of that family. ben wedeman was there. rockets went off durg the funeral. according to ben wedeman he was saying people in the funeral party were chanting "revenge, reven revenge." >> you mentioned last hour, just in terms of painting the picture of the city on the ground, the streets are desolate, people are
5:05 am
fearful of going outside. you said you visited a hospital a couple of hours ago. what did you see there? >> reporter: it's obviously a chaotic scene there. you know, doctors in addition to the 92 death -- 92 people who have died according to health officials here, again, we haven't independently confirmed that, they said they've had more than 740 injured, wounded people. a lot of people with broken legs, shattered limbs, you know, you see a lot of kids, elderly people as well. this is a very densely packed city. even though israel says they are targeting carefully, even if they target carefully, if you have a rocket battery in a residential area, it's very easy for civilians to be hit as well. and we've obviously seen a lot of that over the last several days. >> thanks so much, anderson cooper in gaza this morning. we should also say wolf blitzer is on the israeli side of the border. both will be filing reports on cnn all day. >> let's continue the conversation. i want to bring in former democratic congressman from
5:06 am
florida, robert wexler. he currently is president of the s. daniel abraham center for middle east peace. congressman, good morning to you here. >> good morning. >> let's be realistic. in your opinion what are the chances any time soon of a cease-fire? >> well, i think we have to keep in context why we're in this quagmire, which is the unprovoked, continuous fire by hamas of rockets into israel. there's a short-term goal and a long-term goal, it seems to me. the short-term goal is to create a sustained cease-fire. but in order to do so you have to, in effect, create a victory speech for both hamas and israel. for israel it seems to me the victory speech would sound something like, we've created greater deterrence. we exacted an enormous price from hamas. we killed the military chief of hamas. we also showed that the iron dome anti-rocket system works quite well. for hamas it would seem to me
5:07 am
the victory speech would probably be something like, hamas has shown the world that its military capacity is now greater than it was and that they could endanger citizens in both tel-aviv and jerusalem, the population centers. the long-term challenge, though, is how do we create a political dynamic which avoids this kind of confrontation in the first place and bring the more moderate palestinian forces represented by president abbas into this equation. unfortunately, though, president abbas seems poised to go to the u.n. at the end of this month and seek to enhance the palestinian status, which will create a whole nother set of circumstances which will -- which will dry up funding for the palestinians and cause there to be even greater tension between the israelis and the palestinians. >> i don't know berman here. one of the things that makes this situation even more difficult is when we see the pictures of suffering and really the victims from both sides.
5:08 am
the other day there were three people killed on the israeli side. now we've been looking at pictures overnight. cnn's arwa damon sending us pictures of a two-story townhouse pretty much demolished in gaza. three generations of a family killed there. up to 11 people. how does this type of picture, how does this type of public relations incident effect the possibility, even, to get to some kind of peace or at least a cease-fire? >> you're correct. this is a tragic situation on both sides. as the fighting continues, there will be more and more tragedy. but anderson cooper, i think, hit it right on the head when he said that there are artillery spots. there are launch pads placed by hamas in civilian neighborhoods. and when that happens, it's not by accident. it's done by hamas to create the scenario in which when israel responds, the likelihood of civilian casualties is greatest. so you have to wonder what kind
5:09 am
of an army or what kind of a government puts its own civilians at risk? you know, as we speak, the hamas fighters are underground. but the ordinary palestinian citizens in gaza are being subjected to the -- to the fire power of the israeli defense forces. so, again, one must wonder, what is the goal of the hamas government? one must also wonder why their own citizens don't ask these questions as to why their own leaders are putting their own fellow citizens in this kind of tragic circumstance. >> congressman, in terms of political ramifications here in sort of this region, we know president obama has spoken with benjamin netanyahu and the newly elected president of egypt, which also makes this an interesting equation, mohamed morsi. let's call their relationships complicated. how does that affect the dialogue and possible negotiations moving forward? >> well, president obama and the
5:10 am
entire american government have been unequivocal in terms of israel's right of self-defense. but what is also apparent is that our relationship, the american relationship with turkey, with prime minister is of great importance. also one of the things that can be extracted from this circumstance, while president morsi, the new egyptian president, is not like president mubarak, he still plays an extremely important role because of his ability, unique ability, to influence hamas hopefully in a more positive direction to create the dynamic for a sustained cease-fire. what's also important is that even though israel has engaged militarily in gaza, the egyptians under president morsi have not, at least to date, suggested that they would compromise their peace treaty with israel. which is a very important occurrence. now, if israel goes in in a ground operation, that will be one of the tensions.
5:11 am
how does president morsi respond politically to the enhanced violence? and what president obama is making certain, i think very successfully, is that egypt plays a hopefully positive role while maintaining its relationship and peace treaty with israel, which is essential for the background of the whole region. >> congressman wexler, we appreciate it. i certainly want to bring the panel in in a moment to talk about this quagmire, to use the congressman's words here. want to get to you all in just a second. let's get to the other top stories here in a second. we know the president is arriving in cambodia here. the final stop really of this whirlwind three nation tour of southeast asia. he's making history in cambodia just as he just did in myanmar, being the first sitting u.s. president to visit there. in a speech at the university of yangon, the president praised myanmar's civilian government for reforms, but he did say there is still much more work to be done. >> the right of people to
5:12 am
assemble together must now be fully respected. instead of being stifled, the veil of media censorship must continue to be lifted. and as you take these steps, you can draw on your progress. >> president obama also met with activist aung san suu kyi at her home where she spent 15 years under house arrest. coming up, we'll take you live to cambodia as the president is making his final stop. vice president joe biden gets a firsthand look at superstorm sandy damage in new jersey. he met with first responders who lost their homes and toured the battered coastline by helicopter. the vice president, like president obama, vowed to help make the -- help the area make a complete recovery. >> the president's made it clear that we're going to do everything we can to make sure that the corps is fully funded, that we have -- fema has what it needs, and that all the programs that exist under the auspices of
5:13 am
the federal government are -- not only continue to exist but are funded so that we can make sure that -- that this area of the country is fully, fully, fully restored. >> about 600 customers still have no electricity in new jersey over the weekend. that's three weeks after the storm hit. meanwhile, new york city commuters have something to be thankful for this morning. for the first time since hurricane sandy both tubes of new york's brooklyn battery tunnel are open for business this morning. the hugh carrie tunnel got flooded out by the storm surge of hurricane sandy. on a normal workday the tunnel carries 50,000 cars. the federal investigators in midland, texas, say there's no sign of any kind of mechanical malfunction from last week's deadly train crash that killed the four veterans. the national transportation safety board says the alarm system and gates were working
5:14 am
properly when a truck carrying a trailer full of veterans and their wives entered the railroad crossing eight seconds after the lights and bells activated. the 84-car train slammed into the trailer at 62 miles an hour. things are not looking so good for florida congressman allen west, tea party favorite. it shows him trailing patrick murphy by 2,000 votes. that's in florida's 18th congressional district. louisiana's republican governor bobby jindal slams his own party and some of its candidates. jindal's been critical of mitt romney and the republicans since they lost the election. he says the way to start winning majorities is by not insulting the voter. >> i think we can be respectful of those that disagree with us. we don't need to demonize those that disagree with us. we need to respect the fact that others have come to different
5:15 am
conclusions based o on their own sincerely held beliefs. we don't need so say stupid things. we had candidates in indiana and missouri that said stupid things that not only hurt themselves but hurt the republican party across the board. >> since bobby jindal brought it up, let's talk about that with our panel here. >> let's go there. >> as the ranking member on the table here, representative diane heyworth, what do you make of what bobby jindal said there? >> i completely agree with him that it's crucial for republicans to focus on the issues that all americans can share as concerns. to me that means respecting what people do in their personal lives as being the province of the individual citizen and thinking very carefully together about how we actually move our economy and our nation forward for the future. and i think that we've tended,
5:16 am
unfortunately, and comments like those from representative aiken and mr. murdoch continue to focus public attention on peripheral issues that should never be part of a national discussion of federal laws. >> republicans can either respond to the demographic wave that's reshaping america or they can fight it and resist it. mitt romney's comments after the election, which were extraordinary, probably the most bitter by any loser since richard nixon's 1952 press conference, basically said that president obama bought off young people and minorities with policies that they favored. and implied that those voters were not thinking about the broader national interest. they only cared about what they were going to get. the only people really concerned about the country are people like me. it's an incredibly contempt chous way to look at the electorate.
5:17 am
>> i would hope that he doesn't -- you know, after every presidential election, the candidate who lost is still that party's fanfare. to some degree he does represent -- there's 50 million people who voted for him. one would hope that this kind of clooefing where you see other republicans coming out publicly saying mitt romney does not speak for me actually represent more of the wave and the changing the nature of the party. because they do, as ron said, they do have to change. not just because of demographics, because of the way people look is changing. the way we construct families in america is changing. more and more people are choosing to put off marriage. they're choosing to have children not within the confines of marriage. that means that's a huge change in and of itself that's economic. it's not necessarily about race or ethnicity. >> we'll be talking about that no doubt. >> quick show of hands.
5:18 am
black friday shoppers? oh, they laugh. they laugh. >> ahead on "starting point," is this black friday shopping just one big scam? christine romans explains why you should skip the lines this week and just stay at home and eat. >> we want to leave you with one of the big winners at the american music awards last night, carly ray jepsen, best new artist of the year. "starting point" back in a moment. anne's tablet called my phone. anne's tablet was chatting with a tablet in sydney... a desktop in zurich... and a telepresence roo in brazil. the secure cloud helped us get some numbers from my assistant's pc in new york. and before i reached the top, the board meeting became a congrats we sold the company party. wait til my wife's phone hears about this. [ cellphone vibrating ] [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center, working together has never worked so well. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to.
5:19 am
only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. buy now. save later.
5:20 am
5:21 am
good morning. welcome back to "starting point." i'm christine romans. u.s. stock futures are up this morning. optimism the fiscal cliff will be resolved. that's pushing up markets worldwide today. in today's smart is the new rich. prepare yourself. it's about to begin. the annual black friday retail hype machine. it's not black friday anymore. many major retailers will open again on thanksgiving. it worked well for them last year. black thursday, here you come.
5:22 am
70% of in-store sales can be nabbed online. here's what deal news says. do not buy on black friday, one, toys. you'll find better prices on toys in the two weeks before christmas. wait a few more weeks. two, brand name hd tvs. you can find deems on third tier manufacturers. but the brand names are best bought in january or february. three, jewelry and watches. deal news says don't buy any piece of jewelry or a watch over the whole holiday season. they're just as expensive as around valentine's day. valentine's day and the holidays, bad for jewelry. four, winter apparel. you can find cheap clothes. but winter clothes like gloves and hats, you can get them much cheaper in january. five, christmas decorations. hold off until we get closer to christmas if you can. half price the day after. of course, they're cheapest once you've actually put the christmas tree away. no one listens to me, though. every year i say this.
5:23 am
millions of people go shopping anyway. >> all of that is really good advice. can you really put a price on getting out of a house full of relatives? >> this is true. >> something to keep in mind. something to keep in mind, okay? >> in all seriousness, i like to say, if you don't have money this year invested for your kids' college, why are you buying a bunch of stuff you don't need? the best gift for your kid is putting a little money in a 529. grandma and grandpa. >> this is how we should all be thinking about our lives. the more common sense we apply, the more planning we do, the less likely it will be that we'll be the victim of some unwise -- >> none of you are coming to my christmas party this year. that's okay. >> i could make you something, john. i could make you a macromet pot holder. >> on that moment. back in a moment. americans believe they should be in charge of their own future.
5:24 am
how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you one-to-one. together for your future. ♪
5:25 am
i wish my patients could see what i see. ♪ that over time, having high cholesterol and any of these risk factors can put them at increased risk for plaque buildup in their arteries. so it's even more important to lower their cholesterol, and that's why, when diet and exercise alone aren't enough, i prescribe crestor. in a clinical trial versus lipitor, crestor got more high-risk patients' bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone. like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of rare but serious side effects. ♪ is your cholesterol at goal? talk to your doctor about crestor. [ female announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.
5:26 am
5:27 am
all right. we just had an election. you might remember it. >> we did? >> there are a lot of people who won. some people often don't win elections. representative nan hayworth is here with us this morning. she's a republican from new york state here. did not win re-election. many republicans did not. tell us about your race. >> you know, i'm in -- of course, we had redistricting. i started out in a swing district in hudson valley in new york. it became really even more of one, even closer to very narrow balance between republicans and democrats. and that's all right for someone
5:28 am
like me because, actually, i've always been very ecumenical. but the theme of the race from the democratic side was, you know, tea party republican versus, in the case of my opponent who'd had a role in the clinton white house as a staff secretary, it was a clinton democrat. capable of compromise. president clinton -- of course, i felt the democratic convention was president clinton's convention in a sense. with no disrespect to president obama. but i think it was president clinton's speech that animated -- remember those days when we had all that growth and all that good stuff? so i -- although i certainly -- the folks who knew me, the parts of the district that i've had before, i did even better than i did in the previous election. there was also a ground game that really brought a lot of folks out to the polls for the democratic side. >> did you feel the events going on around the nation, the national party events and the bleshishes as it were, were they dragging you down? >> i think that was part of the
5:29 am
atmosphere. hurricane sandy obviously had an effect as well because the message -- mitt romney was gaining some good traction with some, i thought, very positive economic messaging. hurricane sandy took that all away. we had -- you know, i was one of those people, i actually had good relationships in our urban areas. i had endorsements from democrats. but there was just quite a pull out of the vote for the president in urban areas especially. >> house republicans engineered over the two years a long series of votes on very conservative issues that had virtually no chance of becoming law. you voted repeatedly to defund planned parenthood, block the epa from -- >> actually -- >> you voted for the ryan budget that converted medicare into a voucher. a premium support system. all of which were used against you. the question is did it make sense to force the house to vote -- members to vote on all of those very conservative
5:30 am
initiatives that had no chance of becoming law and were ultimately used against you? and should they do that again over the next two years? >> you know, results -- elections have consequences. it's been said many times. it's true. we look at the 2012 -- we look at what we pledged in 2010. we really -- i was among the republican candidates who said, look, we have to have fiscal responsibility for the sake of everyone. for the sake of every single american. 100%. that's always been my thing. we voted in ways that we felt would advance a fiscally conservative agenda. i had a very ek cue men cal environmental profile as i am environmentally protective. i think that's important. the 2012 election told us we're not going to get a senate and a white house that align with that more --
5:31 am
>> the republican party made a stop in iowa this weekend. >> iowa. also, we're going to talk about this picture that's really heating up online. if you haven't seen it, here it is. the president and a star gymnast. not impressed. r prescriptions. it's the aarp medicarerx saver plus plan from unitedhealthcare. with this plan, you can get copays as low as a dollar through a preferred network pharmacy like walgreens -- where you'll find 8,000 convenient locations. best of all, this plan has the lowest part d premium in the united states -- only $15 a month. open enrollment ends december 7th. so call today or visit your local walgreens. and with my bankamericard cash rewards credit card, i love 'em even me. i earn 1% cash back everywhere, every tim 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatica hoops to jump hrough. that's 1% back o.. [ toy robot sounds ] 2% on pumpkin pie. and apple. 3% ba on 4 trips to e airport.
5:32 am
it's as easy ... [ woman ] 3. male annocer ] the bankamericard cash rewardca. apply online or at a bank america nr you.
5:33 am
male annoc♪r ] the bankamericard cash rewardca. ♪
5:34 am
welcome back to "starting point," everyone. it has been a day of deadly violence in gaza. an israeli missile leveled a two-story home there killing ten people including four children. >> the situation is now threatening to absolutely spiral out of control. you now have representatives of the two sides. they're now in egypt today for cease-fire talks. but no direct negotiations are taking place. hamas is publicly demanding this truce. they're calling on israel to bring an immediate end to its long running military blockade of gaza. >> frederik pleitgen.
5:35 am
>> reporter: there's an assortment of armored vehicles collecting there. it looks to us as though that's still a very small collection point. still only a few vehicles there. look at the roads around here. we've been traveling them quite frequently right now. then you would have seen a lot of israeli armor being brought in here. a lot of tanks being brought in here. armored vehicles as well. there's a lot of convoys we're seeing on the road. i've been traveling the road here for the past couple of days. it really seems to be increased right now. we saw big columns of armored vehicles today as we were coming over here. a lot of trucks that had tanks on the back. it looks as though the military buildup here is in full swing. we have to go, john. we have a mortar that's about to land. there's an alarm for a mortar. i'm sorry, we have to get out of here. >> go ahead. >> that was frederik pleitgen. just a few minutes ago freddhe o
5:36 am
move. there was a threat of mortar attack and maybe even sniper attack. we're glad he's taking the appropriate measures now. >> when he had to move, we let him move. absolutely. we'll hopefully check back in with him as well. other top stories. >> president obama wrapping up his historic trip to southeast asia. he's in cambodia now where he will attend a regional summit. he is the first sitting u.s. president to visit cambodia. ditto, myanmar. in a university speech overnight in yangon, myanmar, the president offered the country's new civilian government a hand of friendship as long as it continues to nurture democracy. also this morning there's this new video we want to show you from this tv crew's camera. just so happened to be rolling as this oil rig in the gulf of mexico exploded in the distance. hear them reacting to it. see the smoke there. divers scouring the sea floor found the body of one man who worked on that platform. another worker is still
5:37 am
unaccounted for today and we're told at least 11 others were injured in this plosion which happened friday. as for a cause, we still don't know yet. it may be a little too early to talk about 2016. but florida senator marco rubio certainly looked like he was ready to hit the campaign trail during a visit to iowa this weekend. rubio appeared saturday night at a fundraiser for iowa governor terry branstad. in his speech he discussed the future of the republican party, tax reform, the national debt, energy and immigration policy. just a coincidence that he's in iowa. now to this. public displays of nudity could so soon be banned in san francisco because the public says they're fed up with men bearing it all in the castro district. the city's board of supervisors meet tomorrow to consider the measure that would fine first offenders up to 100 bucks. a second public nudity violation would trigger a $200 fine. a third offense if you want to
5:38 am
come back again, nice file video, would be $500. you could go to jail for a year. here's the thing, ladies. the measure contains exceptions for women who would like to bare their breasts in public. so there you go. moving on. a new photo of president obama and team usa gymnast michaela maroni has gone viral. they clearly are both not impressed. i love this. ma r she says president obama specifically asked to see her now famous expression during the team's white house visit last week. how cool is that? >> that's a photo you keep for a lifetime. 43 days may seem like a lifetime. >> sorry, ron brownstein. >> surprise! surprise! popping up. that's our fun. >> let's talk about the president. let's talk washington. it's 43 days until the u.s.
5:39 am
economy sails over the impending fiscal cliff and really with little time to spare here leaders in congress are finally getting serious. meeting at the white house just this past friday around this round table here. and they agree it was a step in the right direction. >> to show our seriousness, we've put revenue on the table. as long as it's accompanied by significant spending cuts. >> we have the cornerstones of being able to work something out. we're both going to have to give up some of the things that we know are a problem. >> that sounds like a whole lot of optimism there. but, still, no details have been agreed upon. and other lawmakers on both sides are standing firm on some pretty familiar sticking points right here. so joining us live now from california is democratic congresswoman and co-chair of the out of poverty caucus, representative barbara lee. representative, let me ask you there. we did hear from the congressional leaders. we did hear from the president on friday. they sounded optimistic. they sounded like they were getting along. is there reason for hope here?
5:40 am
do you think there will be a solution by the new year? >> i think there's a lot of reason for hope. we have to be optimistic. because this really, quite frankly, is a human cliff. and as an example of why we have to be hopeful and why i'm saying it's a human cliff, many people don't realize, but as of december 28th, over 2 million people will be without unemployment compensation. that is extremely tragic. what i don't want to see, though, in these negotiations, as low income people, senior citizens, i don't want to see the unemployed be part of a deal that could cut their benefits. because, of course, we know 60% of discretionary spending is in defense. so as we move forward, we have to be optimistic, but we also have to be realistic that we have to have the tax cuts that the president has wanted and talked about ending for those who make over $250,000. the millionaires and the
5:41 am
billionaires. >> congresswoman, ron brownstein of the national journal. the president said the tax rates for those at the top have to go up. he has not said they have to go all the way back up to their level at the clinton years. one possible compromise seems to be a smaller increase in tax rates coupled with some limit on deductions. would that be acceptable to you or do you think tax rates for those at the top have to go all the way back to where they were under bill clinton? >> let's say i believe that the tax cuts that president bush enacted during his administration need to end. and that is the $250,000 and above. we are talking about tax cuts for 98% of the public. we're talking about tax cuts for middle income individuals, for low income individuals, the child tax credit. we're talking about tax cuts that affect 98% of the people. so however they work this out, i hope that we do not see the extension of tax cuts for those making over $250,000. >> congresswoman, this is charles blow. are you open to the idea of
5:42 am
entitlement reform as part of this deal personally? >> personally, when you talk about entitlement reform, what are you talking about? i'm open to looking at the pentagon budget. when you see the waste, fraud and abuse that's in the pentagon budget, we can't even at this point audit the pentagon. i think we need to -- >> i'm specifically talking about things like medicare, social security, medicaid. the kind of programs that people generally don't like to touch. >> no. we should not touch that. >> not at all? >> first of all, for medicaid, medicare and social security, these are programs that people have worked for. these are programs also that address those who are low income and who are poor. i don't believe that low income individuals and the most vulnerable in our seniors should be part of a deal. first of all, they're just living on the edge as we speak anyway. and so why should they have to bear the brunt of the cuts when
5:43 am
we're talking about finding revenue to be able to really balance the budget, create a path toward deficit reduction? really reignite the american dream for everyone. i don't believe entitlement cuts that would affect the poor and seniors and low income individuals should really be on -- on the table. >> all right. representative barbara lee, that's a pretty solid line you've drawn there. no reform or cuts or changes to any of the entitlements there. great to see you. back with "starting point" in just a moment. ♪ [ woman ] ♪ what i want this season ♪ if you'd like to try and guess ♪ ♪ it is something very special ♪ i would readily confess [ dogs barking ]
5:44 am
♪ 'cause all i want this season ♪ ♪ is something from your heart ♪ la da da, la da da [ male announcer ] thinking of others this holiday season, travelers. throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multi-vitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. it has more of 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+. i heard you guys can ship ground for less than the ups store. that's right. i've learned the only way to get a holiday deal is to camp out. you know we've been open all night. is this a trick to get my spot? [ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. save on ground shipping at fedex office.
5:45 am
[ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. let's say you want to get ahead how do you get from here... to here? at university of phoenix we're moving career planning forward so you can start figuring that out sooner. ln fact, by thinking about where want your education to lead, while you're still in school, you might find the best route... leads somewhere you weren't even looking. let's get to work.
5:46 am
welcome back here. just about quarter till the top of the hour. new jersey governor chris christie decked out in his
5:47 am
now -- i guess we could call it infamous blue fleece jacket popped up for a cameo this past weekend on "saturday night live." >> i do not think any of the stupid mayors who ignored my evacuation orders, you're idiots! when you ignore me, it makes you look like a real seth meyers. >> come on. >> i'm talking here. >> all right! >> i also do not want to thank the reporters that put themselves in danger. you know, by walking into the middle of a hurricane with their cameras. we don't need you to tell us there's a hurricane. we have windows! and finally, i do not want to thank the people who are getting in screaming matches at gas stations over the long lines. look, i get it. screaming at people at gas stations is a new jersey tradition. but you don't do it during a crisis. there'll be plenty of time for yelling when this is all over. >> pretty awesome. >> pretty great. you guys watch that? >> it's interesting. at the convention, his speech was pretty widely panned. he seemed to be, like,
5:48 am
definitely the star dimming. but this was -- both the reality and the humor, both has been really a star turn for him on the response. >> it's still about him. >> i understand. i understand that. >> it's interesting. >> how are you going to be a new jersey governor as a republican any other way? >> all this has been a reminder of what people like about chris christie. >> cory booker is the mayor of newark. actually said he is going to delay his decision about whether to run for governor now for a little while. i think he needs to assess the situation. especially with the governor looking as strong as he does. >> coming in from la forwaaguart night, appreciating what you all have been through, it's pretty unreal. coming up next, we all know holiday travel is crazy this week. but how do all those planes get to their spots on time, if they get there on time? our sandra endo takes a look inside the airports like you have never seen before. that's coming up next. twins. i didn't see them coming.
5:49 am
i have obligations. cute obligations, but obligations. i need to rethink the core of my portfolio. what i really need is sleep. introducing the ishares core, building blocks for the heart of your portfolio. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes possible loss of principal. is what drives us to broadcast the world's biggest events in 3d,
5:50 am
or live to your seat high above the atlantic ocean. it's what drives us to create eco-friendly race tracks, batteries that power tomorrow's cars, nearly indestructible laptops, and the sustainable smart towns of the future. at panasonic, we're driven to make what matters most better. just another way we're engineering a better world for you. woman: what do you mean, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods? [ heart rate increases ] man: a few inches of water caused all this? [ heart rate increases ] woman #2: but i don't even live near the water. what you don't know about flood insurance may shock you -- including the fact that a preferred risk policy starts as low as $129 a year. for an agent, call the number that appears on your screen.
5:51 am
5:52 am
all right. welcome back, everyone. we've been talking all morning about the conflict that is raging right now in the middle east between israel and hamas inside gaza right now. a little while ago we were talking to our reporter frederik pleitgen a few miles away from the border. in the middle of this live shot he heard a warning siren. i think you'll see it comes up. >> a lot of trucks that had tanks on the back. it looks as though the military buildup is in full swing. we have to go. we have a mortar about to land. we're going to get down. we have to get out of here. >> you can see he heard an alarm, siren, there were incoming mortar shells. >> had to leave. >> he got to safety with his
5:53 am
crew. we believe they are safe and sound. as you hear each and every year this thanksgiving week is one of the busiest travel weeks for the entire year. so what does it take to make sure -- what does it take to make sure those packed flights get actually where they're going? sandra endo has this inside look from george bush intercontinental airport in houston. >> reporter: a lot is riding on people like michael balm baumgarden as more than 20 million travelers are expected to fly this week. he's a technician for united airlines. >> the airplanes just pulled into the gate. >> reporter: we went behind the scenes at houston intercontinental airport to see what mechanics do before passengers board. >> the walk-on inspection is just that. walk on, look at all the critical thing. >> reporter: what are you checking for here? >> anything at all broken, leaking. if something's wrong, in this
5:54 am
case you'll know about it. >> reporter: technicians get at least half an hour to check every plane that lands. they inspect the entire plane to make sure everything's okay before the next flight. united is anticipating a peak load of more than 600 flights through houston the day before thanksgiving. and passengers want them running safely and on time. a lot of times as a passenger, we hear, oh, your flight's not ready because of a maintenance issue. what does that mean for us? >> if the airplane is not all safe and legal, it can't go. >> reporter: the safety checks are inside and out. on united's new 787 dreamliner technicians examine the electronics. >> we're going over some problems we've had in the past. talking about ways we can keep it from happening again. >> reporter: every four years or so, every plane goes through a major safety overhaul. what are th working on here? >> this is a 757. they will completely open the
5:55 am
airplane up, inspect everything. replace a lot of components. lubricate everything. put it back together. >> reporter: most mechanical problems are logged in flight to so base crews know what's wrong before the plane lands. it's not always a quick fix. >> they do the best we can. they didn't build it in a day. we can't always fix it in just five minutes. but you always get them fixed. >> reporter: and we're seeing travelers here come in waves. right now it's a little lull. but two hours ago this place was packed. you could see the ticketing agents very busy behind me. a lot of the airlines beefing up staffing to take care of the extra passenger load. of course, the all too familiar sight at airports, people on their gadgets b with their coffee, waiting for flights. to get through security they're going to have to go through this entire hassle one more time. because the sunday after thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year. brooke and john? >> sandra endo, thank you very
5:56 am
much. before we let you go, here's what we've been covering. this crisis unfolding the last couple of days in the middle east. these are live pictures. i believe these are live pictures from -- yes, this is gaza city. as you can see the destruction here many days later. i just want to pause. we've been listening. we've had reporters on the ground. anderson cooper and crew there on the ground for us in gaza city reporting multiple rockets fired. you can see the streets and the air. i'm just going to stop talking. let's listen. so as we continue to watch these live pictures, we've been talking all morning. i want our panel to feel free and weigh in. we talked to senator mitchell, special envoy for the region some years ago. he was telling us basically his fear is that it will get worse until it gets better. >> i've been there for a couple of these conflicts. every time they seem to escalate past the point where you'd want them to stop.
5:57 am
they always go the full measure. it always ends in sort of extreme violence. the question here is, is this time different? is there something that will keep israel from sending ground troops into gaza? what would that be? >> the larger question as you know, i mean, this occurred four years ago. we did this four years ago. is there anything out there, is there any solution that would even after the cease -- if there is a cease-fire, even after, that means we don't do this again in three or four years with the escalating cycle of attacks and reprisal. >> we always have to look at the relationship of theocracy in iran to its surrogates here, being hamas or hezbollah. and i've visited israel. i've been to the northern border where clearly they have -- there are ways in which our ordinary peace keeping -- the mechanisms we expect to help keep the peace, u.n. forces, cannot do all they are supposed to do.
5:58 am
it's just they either aren't because they don't have the capabilities or they don't have the intention. but this is never going to be resolved unless we address the theocracy. >> you're looking again at pictures live from gaza city right now. see some black smoke billowing. we heard sirens and explosions there. just a few minutes ago we should be perfectly clear there were also rockets and mortars going out of gaza into israel. one of our reporters on the israeli side, fred blpleitgen, d to take cover. >> there's the broader middle east and whether or not that whole region becomes destabilized in some way is drawn into this kind of present conflict. then there's the longer range things that ron was talking about. how do we stop this as a cycle of things? getting to a cease-fire is important for this particular conflict. as, you know, americans who have really, really strong interest in this issue, how do we move past this kind of constant
5:59 am
cycling of violence and disri s disruption and get to a point where we actually can talk seriously. >> 60 seconds here before we go, they're all talking. they're in egypt right now. both sides. they're not talking to one another. they're talking about this. >> there is a reminder -- we've been several years without any meaningful mideast peace process between the israelis and the palestinians. this is is a reminder that that is a not a cost free option. drift has cost in the sense of creating heightening tensions which come to this kind of flash point every few years. >> there is an interesting policy which has been taking place over the last few years which is having an impact. the iron dome. protecting israeli citizens in these cities from being hit by the incoming rockets. it may change israel's negotiating stance and make them slower to move ground troops into gaza. >> we have to continue crippling sanctions the congress pushed and the obama administration has

1,141 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on